


Jailbird

by vintage_masquerade



Category: Caduceus | Trauma Center Series, Trauma Team
Genre: CR-S01, Comfort/Angst, Derek Stiles/CR-S01, Fluff and Angst, M/M, One Shot, Trauma Center - Freeform, Trauma Team - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-27
Updated: 2013-11-27
Packaged: 2018-01-02 18:58:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1060384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vintage_masquerade/pseuds/vintage_masquerade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some nightmares don't just let you go back to sleep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jailbird

**Author's Note:**

> This is a bit of an excerpt from a larger fic that may or may not happen, but I liked this enough to post it on its own.

A scream ripped free from my throat. I suddenly found myself sitting straight up, hands clenching the thin sheet beneath me. An icy bead of sweat ran down my neck, even though I was shivering with cold. I sat there gasping, tossed about in the echoes of the nightmare, until even my breaths began to shake. Hyperventilation quickly threatened to join my host of tormentors and I fought to slow my respirations with little success.

The quiet padding of feet barely registered over the heartbeat in my ears. I twisted around to see Derek’s face sans glasses leaning around the corner, eyes wide. “Are you ok?”

I swallowed around the desert in my mouth as if to say something, but I was still reeling from the dream. All I could do was stare back at him, trying to let his normal, undistorted gaze push away the carnivorous thoughts lingering around me. But in a moment the sheer worry in Derek’s eyes was too much for me to bear. I shut my eyes and ran a hand through my sweat-slicked hair, my diaphragm clenching in jerky exhalations. I begged myself not to cry in front of him, the other side of me wanting nothing more than to break down in his arms.

As I turned away from him, Derek left his place behind the corner and cautiously approached me. I heard the rustle of his clothes, and the couch dipped outwards as he sat down behind me. I slowly opened my eyes and shifted to look into his pained eyes. “Bird? What’s wrong?”

_'Little jailbird, flapping your broken wings…'_

The shred of control I had mustered shattered as the first tear fell. The sobs I had been fighting to keep in shook me unrestrictedly. I couldn’t nor wanted to fight against Derek’s embrace as he pulled me close, letting me fall into his chest. His gentle consolations only eased my faltering mind a little, the smooth murmurs running like warm water over the coarse, icy edges of the memory replaying itself over and over again.

_'Poor jailbird, forgotten in your cage again… Left behind, with no one to keep you safe from all the big mean cats and dogs. He only stays because to see you so pathetic is worse than any chore… No one wants to protect you… Why should he have to?'_

It must have been almost twenty minutes later that I regained control of my breathing, and slowly opened my tightly-shut eyes. All that was left of the nightmare’s throes were the streaks on my face and the utter exhaustion quickly taking hold. Derek’s voice was as quiet as I’ve ever heard it as he spoke into my ear. “Feeling better?”  
I nodded silently, scared that the half-lie would be revealed if I said anything. I was too tired to try speaking anyway.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Just the thought of reliving the nightmare sent a wave of cold apprehension up my spine. I shook my head, more insistently than I’d nodded.

"Ok." Derek whispered, running his hand up and down my shoulder soothingly. He planted a quick kiss on my head, then leaned his own over mine. After a few minutes it was evident he was trying to get me to fall back to sleep, but that wasn’t going to happen. I didn’t want him staying here with me just to pursue a goal he would never achieve.

Finally finding my voice, I half whispered, half muttered, “You can go back to bed if you want.”

I felt his head lift away from mine. “Are you sure?”

"Yeah." After a gentle squeeze he released me and stood up. I was surprised by how cold and lonely I felt, even though he was still right there. The space between us felt like a mile. He only took a step before a thought seemed to stop him. He turned and knelt down in front of me, setting those soft brown eyes on me again. A coy smile graced his tired face. "Wanna come?"

I nearly smiled myself as I nodded. He took my hand from my lap and stood with me, then lead me down the hallway, never letting go of my hand. My nerves did their best to faze me as we entered his bedroom; any other circumstance and I would have been severely flustered, but right now I was simply too exhausted to care. Once I had crawled under the sheets after him he reached up and brushed my hair out of my eyes, then kissed my head again.  
"Good night, Bird."  
"Good night, Derek."

I fell asleep within minutes, our heads resting against each other, and our hands still entwined.


End file.
